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Caeli Oakenthorn
= Caeli Oakenthorn = Also called Druidess Caeli of Clan Oakenthorn Known to the Gael as the Mistress of Seasons Known Information Originally from the northern island of the Wilds, known as Eur to the other nations, Caeli is a young druidess of the Vicaul. She returned during the first month of the fourth year of Adelrune. In the midst of confusion and being attacked by shades, Caeli quickly formed a bond with Amon, whom she healed as he protected her from blades that night. Solace was a strange place, with larger buildings than she had ever seen and more people than she had encountered throughout her entire life, but with the guidance of Mistress Eluriel she learned enough to keep out of trouble. Caeli is known in town as a capable healer who is extremely loyal and protective of her friends, both in battle and in conflicts among the Returned. Her faith plays a large role in shaping her daily routine around her prayers, and during gatherings she can often be found at one of her altars or shrines as she tends to them and devotes her time to her many gods. Within months of her return, Caeli gained the reputation for being knowledgeable in all things plants and nature and is frequently sought out to identify a wide variety of strange alchemical and magical ingredients. This connection to nature led her to develop an odd friendship with the corrupt nature spirit Redthorn, whom she had a private arrangement with to plant trees in exchange for the safety of Solace. In the summer of the fifth year of Adelrune, a year after the arrangement was struck, Caeli released Redthorn from their agreement and allowed the spirit to attack Solace with the intention they would both die in an effort to cleanse the corrupted nature spirit. Redthorn died that night and was cleansed of her corruption, but it was the other Returned that worked together to save Caeli. Caeli was elected to the Council of Solace under a new system in the sixth year of Adelrune, serving as Master of Coin. During her time on Council, trade arrangements were strengthened, roads were expanded and improved, stone fortified buildings were constructed in Solace, businesses grew, and jobs were found for Solace residents who were able and willing to work. A plague, manufactured and created by demons, spread through Solace in the sixth year of Adelrune, prompting Caeli to work for a cure. As of the fall of that year, a treatment was found for the symptoms, though no cure for the blood has yet been discovered. In the late summer, the bloodrage re-emerged in a newly Returned human of Solace who had been in the forests. For the first time, Caeli lost a patient to disease and it weighed heavily upon her heart for many weeks. The late winter of the 6th year of Adelrune took Caeli to the Celestine Empire with Lady Orianna to attend the funeral of Archduke Terrance Calis, after which she returned to Solace escorted by two Gael representing the Banner of the Black Wolf and the greater Gael people. Peace talks were held in Solace that night between the Celestine and the Gael, with Caeli acting as scribe and adviser for the Gael. It took many hours, but peace and trade was established and Caeli was pleased to have been part of it. Rumor also has it that her trip to the Expanse may have also included an effort to save the Sacred Oak that was lost the year before to Celestine forces during the height of the Northern War, but no news has come of this. In the early hours of the morning of Yule in the 6th year of Adelrune, Caeli was killed by one of the Returned when he awoke from a trip to Orphan. No tree appeared in Solace that day, and those who watched her die made every attempt to bring her back, including sacrificing themselves to barter for her soul. Still, they returned to Solace without her, and while many theories have been spread as to the current state of whereabouts, it is certain that her death has sparked something within the Returned and unified them in a way that hasn't been seen before. They have continued to make efforts to reach out to her gods to intervene on her behalf. During the February gathering of the seventh year of Adelrune, a full eleven weeks after her death, a bell was heard in the streets of Port Frey. A large black bird, later revealed to be called Vrana, lead Caeli to the altar her friends had built to Crow to pray for her soul. She awoke there, surrounded by friends, for the most touching homecoming Caeli has ever experienced. For much of the gathering she was not allowed to go anywhere without a group surrounding her with the intent to protect her from harm (though she still managed to get herself into trouble on more than one occasion by being unarmed and standing her ground against armed opponents). Since returning from the realms of death, Caeli has been working diligently for Solace; though not all appreciate the lengths to which she will go to establish Solace's strength. Much of the spring of the 7th year of Adelrune has been dominated by Cedric's accusations and personal attacks against Caeli for her decisions that he greatly disagrees with, calling her reckless and a bad leader who is out of touch with the people. Caeli has stood her ground against these claims and attacks because they are unfounded. At the April gathering, however, she did claim guilt for killing a peasant who put the entire nation of Solace at risk of infection of the Ignotus Plague. In an effort to make amends with his family, Caeli was charged with a severe fine of 25 units of economic support and 10 gold, to be paid out within a calendar year. In addition to this, she will complete her term on Council as part of her community service, at which point she will be stripped of all pins of status earned in Solace, including but not limited to her noble house, her standing as former guild mistress of the Guild of Academics, and any status she may attain in the future. Not long after this sentence came down, Caeli disappeared from Solace for many months. Between Gatherings, Caeli has a habit of disappearing from town for weeks at a time. She often spends this time with the Saek at their encampment outside of Solace and always comes back in higher spirits than she left. When asked why she spends her time in the encampment, she gives the simple explanation that "they're the closest thing to family I have in this world." This trip, however, proved to be much further than just to the Saek encampment, for Caeli and a small entourage of soldiers and ambassadors traveled to most of the Empires and city-states in an attempt to unify the peoples of Adelrune into a coalition to fight Bel'e'athru and his forces. With the support of the Council of Solace, she visited the Celestine Empire, the Gael, Ad Decimum, Mandala, Castle Thorn, the Amalgamantion, Cestral, and the Vicaul forces that were stranded on Cestral to spread the word about this coalition and the shift of Solace from an independent city-state into a Unity Nation that would be ruled by a Parliament of each nation and people group. At some point in her trip, Caeli was imprisoned in a Cestral prison for a few weeks and was only released due to Lady Rhonna's kindness. During the summer months of the 7th year of Adelrune, efforts were made by many of the Returned of Solace, both followers of the Old Ways and not, to help awaken Lion and Panther, two gods of the pantheon. Many people took part in the prayers, building a stronger community and bonds between the Returned, and an inexplicable number of people converted from the faiths of their first lives to follow her gods. Startled by so many conversions, Caeli was called for the first time to truly fill her Druidess role to guide them in faith. It was during the prayers to Crow, led by Caeli, that Caeli was chosen as the flamebearer of Crow. Upon picking up the flame she was to bear, a burning pain spread across the palm of her hand that had always born a tree-shaped birthmark, and when the pain finally faded, the birthmark had reshaped itself into a Crow, marking her for the god of the dead. By the tail end of summer, just before the turn of the seasons to fall, Caeli's dedication to Crow was complete in her wardrobe, which no longer reflected the greens of nature and the shifting of seasons, but had taken on a much darker palette of deeps blues and charcoal greys. The cheerful flowers in her hair were replaced with black feathers, her apron now bearing the symbols of Crow. The Battle of Port Frey took a toll upon Caeli, more so even than most outside her closest circle saw. Named Quartermaster to the Returned forces, Caeli spent months gathering resources and employing smiths to prepare their armory and supplies. Though she reached out frequently to others for help, her frustration only grew when time and time again people only seemed to care for their own interests, making demands of her, her resources, and her time so that they felt they were prepared enough to survive the fight. In the weeks leading to war, Caeli grew more and more withdrawn from the Returned as her focus was on making preparations for civilians to be kept safe, making sure the armory was able to outfit the Returned forces, and preparations for the rituals were in place. During those weeks, she quietly pulled people aside and said subtle goodbyes, knowing full-well her chances of surviving the battle were slim since she was to be in the middle of all of it. When the Battle began, her focus was to keep things going as smoothly as possible, to provide the support she could to the Gael faction, and make sure the Returned were prepared to finish the war. An injury to her ankle nearly sidelined her as the final preparations for the rituals began, and a protection ritual she had been counting on to protect the bards fell through as Bel'e'athru and his horde arrived. She did what she could in the middle of it all, three rituals happening simultaneously, even without the fourth she hadn't been able to lead. Somehow, amongst the chaos, unable to be of any combat use, Caeli faced the ice demon Arasimiel. Armed with the Arcane Blade and very little else, she found the element of fire for the first time to duel with the ice demon, but in the end he dropped her there, upon a ritual circle only feet from the open door of the Oubliette. As she bled, she sang Star's song, keeping her part of the ritual going even as she watched Prae drag Star into the Oubliette. They had won, but death was closer than she had ever wanted to experience again as she looked to the stars. They were beautiful, shining above the port town and the blood-soaked fields of combat. Moment from death, Arasimiel's face suddenly blocked the stars from view, taunting her, "You will never win." "We already have," she replied tiredly, repeating the refrain of Star's song one last time, "She is free." Enraged, Arasimiel left her chest ripped open across the ritual circle that had opened the Oubliette and that is the last memory she would have before Vrana came to her. No one truly expected Caeli to Return again, but surprising them all (herself included) she did once again come back to Solace accompanied by Vrana. It's been said, however, that the war changed her. That in this third death, or perhaps in the months that led to it, something had changed within her. Since that night, Caeli has been all but absent from among the Returned. In January of the 8th year of Adelrune, Caeli made an appearance to take part in the peace negotiations between the Gael Banner of the Black Wolf and Ad Decimum. Later that day, at Court, she was presented with an award for her contributions to the war efforts, as well as commemorated for giving her life in the Battle of Port Frey. She has not been seen in Solace since. In a horrifying version of the future at Yule of the 5th year of Adelrune, by Yule of the 8th year of Adelrune, Caeli was forsaken by her gods and turned into a bitter slaver responsible for the capture and enslavement of a number of Effendal she was previously close to during her time in Solace, including her mentor, Vapaaherra Siili Sininen. Moments from Before Caeli was seven when she stood upon the cliffs of the Wilds, watching the thick bank of fog and storm roll in off the ocean. There was still an hour or two before the storm would hit the shores, the work of Balaiesh both beautiful and deadly for those caught out at sea. On the cliffs the winds blew gently, rustling the leaves of the trees and only hinting at what was coming. The soft sounds of birds and animals in the distance could be heard from the forests, everything living as it should and going about their lives. For that moment, everything was in balance. *** Caeli closed her eyes and turned her face towards the sun, taking pleasure in the warmth on her face. There was a chill on the wind and beneath the trees the frost still remained in deep drifts, but in her garden the ground was clear and the soil tilled for the spring planting. The doors to the forge were open to cool the shop, but she couldn’t hear her Papa working. Instead, she could hear the low tones of her father and Owen discussing a trade of some sort but the specifics were lost on her young ears. The trees rustled in the wind, owls hooted out of sight, water bubbled in the stream as the snows melted off, and she was safe and comfortable in the presence of the gods. “Caeli?” Owen’s voice drew her from her meditation and she smiled up at the young warrior where he leaned on the garden fence. “I brought you some seeds from Cestral. Your father said you’d like them.” Status Caeli previously wore two pins of status for being Headmistress of the Solace Guild of Academics, a title she passed on to Brother Bion when she was appointed to the Council of Solace. She bears the Star of Kaelin in recognition for her assistance in creating Vanya Cuil, the potion that cures the Bloodrage Disease. Caeli served as proxy for both Lord Councilman Augden and Lord Councilman Corvus Vorin during the fifth year of Adelrune. She was also responsible for the keeping of the laws and records of Solace, as well as overseeing the taking of the Oath of Solace when someone sought citizenship in the nation. In the 6th and 7th years of Adelrune, Caeli served two terms as Master of Coin on the Council of Solace, which awarded her five pins of status as befitting the ruler of a nation. In September, 7r. the Council was disbanded to make way for the Unity Parliament of Solace. As punishment for murder, at the end of her term on Council, Caeli was stripped of all pins of status earned within Solace, including her noble status and house for completing terms on Council. She will never again be granted status within Solace, regardless of her actions and positions held. Caeli now bears three pins of status, granted by Ser Ootomus Rex, who has titled her Baroness Caeli Oakenthorn of the East Bank, within the Amalgamation Kingdom of De'Fey. Allies * Amon Saccari * Augden * Laurel Bay * Corvus * Lady Siili * Redthorn/Ivy * Juniper * Naia Haleth * Sigurd * Kitar Flynn Vulphrim * Not-Gilbert (she doesn't mind that he stabbed her that one time) * Ritari Don-Tragg * Ser Aislynn * Kethrii * Hakkaua * Kiri * Ser Steiner Enemies * Strong dislike of Spira * Spends more time arguing with Keelin than she does talking to her * Has a general distaste for Tark and his attitude towards her * Shapeshifters of all sorts, but she has declared she will see the end of the serpentine shifter Obituaries The Assassin, January 8r. Caeli While bravely fighting against the demonic horde, Caeli was slain by the Demon Lord Arasimiel. As she died, she uttered a curse that marked Arasimiel to forever spend the rest of his days as a snowflake. Rumors * "I heard Allerm paid a gold for a minstrel to express his love for Caeli during the third annual Tournament of Solace". * Caeli keeps a small container of strong, dark stout on her at all times. When the discussion around her tips too far toward the political, she often takes a nip or two. * The sudden Return of several followers of the Old Ways in the wake of Caeli's return have led many to suspect that she is more than she appears to be. Though opinions vary on whether she is an avatar of one of the Old Gods or just a powerful enough soul to act as a beacon to others of her faith, all are agreed that she is not a figure to be underestimated. * Caeli is a strong woman admired by most; this has seemed to attract the attention of Artemis Flynn, who is said to be her hidden lover. This may have caused a conflict with her potential interest in Amon, the center of a love triangle between her and the Effendal, Laurel Bay. * It has been said that half the library of the Guild of Academics is filled with the stories of Artemis Flynn by Caeli's own design. * There are some in town who were surprised to hear of Caeli's intense emotional reaction to the death of Amon at the hands of the Nadine Legionnaires, but for most it only served to affirm their suspicions of a romantic relationship between the two. * Some have heard Caeli mention that the change in her hair color, from a brown when she first returned to a vivid blue, happened as a result of an alchemy accident while she was researching a particularly deadly flower in the spring of the fifth year of Adelrune. * It has been rumored that since the meeting of Keelin's father Caeli has been carefully watched. * Caeli's unexpected friendship with Redthorn has made some people question her devotion to Solace, and it did not go unnoticed that Caeli stood beside Redthorn in a recent fight against the Returned in Port Frey. * The protectiveness Caeli and Laurel Bay have shown for one another in recent months, paired with their concern for Amon and involvement with his family, have led many to speculate the love triangle is now a solidified relationship between the three. * Apparently people in town think Caeli holds grudges. In truth, she is much too busy to bother keeping grudges, she just avoids the person there was conflict with as much as possible to avoid any further conflict. * With her impressive collection of creatures and body parts, there's talk that Caeli's true intention is to open a traveling Sideshow. It is currently rumored that she might be training the Moss Eaten Breach Bugs to walk tiny tightropes. * Though a person of great smiles and unimaginable kindness, Caeli is rumored to be the deadliest Returned of all, secretly being able to hold her own against an army using only her alchemy and grand physical prowess. It does not hurt that she also secretly keeps an army of of otherworldly creatures of the abyss just in case. * Caeli's tendency to cover her ears with a crown of leaves or flowers has some people believing that she might be an Effendal. * She is known by many names, including the Mistress of Seasons. Only recently has she begun to display the truth behind this title. * Caeli was blamed by many for the unseasonably cold weather and snow in May of the 6th year of Adelrune, as she is regularly overheard discussing how much she misses the snow and weather of the Wilds. * "You hear that druid girl been rais'in her own little mind spiders?" ** "Like it lays eggs in yer Mind?" ** "No idea, but if she starts acting funny, you'll know why." ** "Acting funny like rais'in spiders as pets?" ** "Yup." ** "Mind Spiders." * Although no protection wards have ever been set off, visitors to the Guild of Academics have reported a strange reddish fur left in the hallway to the guild mistresses room. Thus far, no one has been able to determine what sort of creature has been sneaking in. * It was suggested that the intense winds during the Yule season of the 6th year were an omen of what was to come in the early morning hours. * Caeli's strength of faith has influenced much of the Effendal population of Solace, even pushing them begin praying to the gods of the Old Ways in efforts to rescue her from the realms of death * While Caeli has long been an economic power for Solace, recently rumor has been spread that since her second death she is making a huge political play. * Soon after the Battle of Port Frey, Caeli disappeared among the Gael and has rarely been seen or heard from since. *QUEEN OF THE GAEL **PRINCESS OF THE VICAUL *Rumor has it Caeli handed over Solace to the Nadine *The Baroness of the West Bank conducts mountains of trade throughout Tear and beyond. Quotes * "Listen to the words of the Gods and honor them always, else you will suffer their wrath." * "We all have our roles to play. I am just lucky I know what mine is." * "The balance leans towards darkness. We must expect setbacks and hurdles, but there is still light to be found on Adelrune, if one knows where to look." * "These trees are mine. If you harm them, I will end you." * "Each of us has a purpose to serve here. You are new, your purpose has not yet been revealed." * "I will not say goodbye because I will see you again." * "If the Celestine army is foolish enough to go after the Sacred Oak a second time, they will have to go through me first. I assure you, they aren't that dumb." * "You have been chosen by the gods... in time it will be revealed what that means for you, as it is different for each of us." * "Pray. Act on behalf of the gods. Be faithful." Character Inspirations * Excalibur from the Starz show 'Camelot'. * Background inspiration from BBC's 'Merlin' Soundtrack * Touch the Sky * Colors of the Wind * Sound the Bugle * Soldiers * Here I Am * Carry On My Wayward Son * Who Tells Your Story * I Am Not Unbreakable